Roethlisberger wants Randy Fichtner as the new OC

Ben Roethlisberger will meet with the Rooney’s at some point this week presumably, per his comments at the Pro Bowl, to discuss the direction of the offense for 2012. Early thoughts were that Ben would speak up to try and keep Bruce Arians on staff in Pittsburgh, but he made it clear that he did not because he felt the team had made up their mind and Bruce was ready to move on as well.

We’ll hear more of this story in the week(s) ahead as the team has potentially more interviews with possible candidates for it’s open coordinator position.

According to NFL Networks Jason LaCanfora, Ben wants his current Quarterbacks Coach Randy Fichtner to be promoted to Offensive Coordinator. This should come as a surprise to no one since Ben has a good relationship with Fichtner and presumably the transition would go smoother than bringing in someone from outside the organization. LaCanfora also mentioned that as well, stating Tomlin has said he wants to do more interviews before making a decision.

The Steelers already talked with former Colts Head Coach now Ravens QB Coach Jim Caldwell but that fell through today as Caldwell was signed to the Ravens staff. It’s unknown how serious those talks were with the Steelers this past weekend. Other possible names being thrown around are Tom Clements from the Packers and Colorado QB Coach Rip Scherer. We should stress that none of these potential candidates, including Fichtner, have been verified by the team itself. They have been very quiet since the announcement that Bruce Arians would not return to the team. This is not an uncommon practice for the team, as they prefer to keep things under wraps before making any official announcement to the media.

Linebackers coach Keith Butler will talk with the Colts on Tuesday about their Defensive Coordinator position. The Steelers could possibly have several vacancies to fill this offseason if Butler leaves. Remember Running Backs coach Kirby Wilson is still in the hospital trying to recover from the burns he suffered in a house fire that occurred just before the Steelers left to play Denver in the wildcard round. There is no timetable for Wilson’s return or more importantly his recovery at this point.